When Tensor Tire blasted onto the scene with the durable Regulator tire, everyone in the industry knew that a new player was in town. But it wasn’t until 2016 when Tensor Tire would introduce the 32” tall Desert Series (DS) race tire that hardcore enthusiasts and racers really began to give the brand some serious attention. While the Regulator continues to excel, the DS has exploded prompting top racers, teams and builders to give this innovative tire and brand the respect it deserves. As UTV platforms continue to evolve at the factory level, and as builders & racers of UTVs continue to push the limits, the need for taller, lighter and stronger tires has increased. It wasn’t long ago that 30“ was huge for a UTV, not 32” is quickly becoming the norm both for performance and appearance. Soon it will become standard and 33”, maybe even 35“ tall tires will become sizes that these ever evolving machines choose to run. For now, the 32” tall tire falls in line both with rules for desert racing as well as the overall performance of the UTVs both competing and playing in the hard pack desert terrain.
The biggest factor in building up custom race & play UTVs is weight. In stock form, sport UTVs are at their best as it pertains to power-to-weight ratio. With every beefed up aftermarket component you also beef up the weight of the machine thus lessoning the punch of these still relatively small displacement vehicles. We have seen the emergence of carbon fiber, titanium, and billet aluminum as staple materials in our custom machines all in hopes of keeping the weight down as we continue to push the envelope of strength and design. One major pitfall as it pertains to tires has been the ever increasing weight as we continue to utilize bigger wheels and tires.